The city of Sint-Niklaas, in collaboration with Bpost, is introducing the 'Bbox Stad' project. This initiative aims to expand the network of smart Bbox lockers within the municipality, with the goals of reducing delivery vehicle traffic and offering additional opportunities for local shops. Sint-Niklaas becomes the second Belgian city, after Ostend, to enter into this partnership with the postal service.
In response to the rapid growth of online shopping, which significantly increases daily deliveries – approximately 2,500 parcels per day in Sint-Niklaas, potentially rising to 3,750 during the upcoming holiday season – Bpost is seeking to reorganize urban logistics. Home delivery contributes to pollution and congestion issues. The 'Bbox Stad' project is part of this effort towards smarter organization.
Currently, 20% of parcels in Sint-Niklaas are already delivered via Bbox, amounting to about 500 per day. The objective is to increase this share to reduce the mileage covered by delivery vans. Consumers can also collect their parcels on foot or by bicycle, leading to an average reduction of 30% in CO2 emissions per delivery.
Lieven Dehandschutter, Mayor of Sint-Niklaas, highlights the benefits of this collaboration: “This partnership with Bpost not only makes Sint-Niklaas more sustainable but also more business-friendly. We are reducing the impact of parcel deliveries on our city while simultaneously giving our local retailers an extra tool to serve their customers.”
Bpost plans to install new lockers, bringing the total number of automated points to 33 in the municipality. Six new installations are planned, with the first to be placed soon at the provincial domain De Ster. Additionally, 12 existing Bbox units will be replaced with newer models featuring touchscreens and solar panels.
For local retailers, Bbox lockers offer opportunities to increase foot traffic and potential revenue. They can also use the lockers to prepare customer orders. A customer wishing to pick up an item outside of business hours will receive a QR code via email to open the locker 24/7, effectively turning the Bbox into an extension of the retail store.
Laurens Himpe, Chief Automated Parcel Officer at Bpost, explains: “For retailers, this means they can expand their service offerings without having to adjust their opening hours. They maintain their local presence and customer contact, while combining it with the 24/7 convenience that consumers expect today.”
